I am acutely aware of that. I have two not-quite-finished LoneStars that'll end up hooked up to one, but I really want to couple one with a ProStar, because a friend of mine runs a ProStar/Great Dane combo. And many of the rigs I see every morning at work are ProStars pulling vans and reefers (though not always Great Danes), so there's lots of inspiration for a project or two there. Most of the semi tractors I have are roughly vintage 1970-1975 models, and while it's certainly possible for an older rig to pull a late-model trailer, I want to try and keep things consistent. Even though I'm pretty sure a causual viewer wouldn't be able to tell the difference!

I do plan on hinging the back doors on at least one of these as soon as I get a gameplan figured out for that. I'm toying around with doing a (most likely non-operable) roll-up door too. All I'll say for now is look for a WIP when the first one hits my workbench.

and while it's certainly possible for an older rig to pull a late-model trailer, I want to try and keep things consistent. Even though I'm pretty sure a causual viewer wouldn't be able to tell the difference!

Full Name:Doing the grunt work so the U.S. Postal Service can deliver your mail.

Posted 03 October 2012 - 10:08 PM

Alright let's put an end to this insanity and crank out the last of this review.

Here's the bottom and top of the reefer. I haven't actually counted them, but I believe there amount of cross members is correct (being I imagine this trailer is made from CAD data straight from G.D. I'm sure they are).

If you're thinking off opening the back doors, here's the flip-side of the floor to show what you'd be working with, no matter a wood floor or the "corrugated" metal reefer floor can be done without constructing a "sub-floor". But that shouldn't phase any serious scratchbuilder. This shot also shows the simple, yet ingenious mounting system for assembly...peg into hole, it's so simple it's brilliant.

Here are your sides. Apparently Moebius has created a new way to roll steel as there isn't a single rivet on these 53 foot panels. That's a trivial nit to pick I realize, but it is in fact a reality that the 1:1 is several sections riveted to the inside sub-frame. It's probably impossible (or should I say reasonably priced at least) to actually mold the cut lines and thousands of rivet heads in a commercial kit.

And here's the box. Please not there isn't a stitch of tape or glue holding this thing together, just gravity and Moebius' engineering department. You can apply say a 10lb house cat to this thing and it might weeble-wobble without the ends, but it don't fall down!

Full Name:Doing the grunt work so the U.S. Postal Service can deliver your mail.

Posted 03 October 2012 - 10:26 PM

Onwards...

Here's your clear runner. 4 taillights, 2 belly lights, and the assortment of DOT Clearance lights for the front, rear and sides. There are no pins, but all of the "lights" do have a "pin" like pattern. Perhaps that's supposed to represent the lightbulb itself. No LEDs...how barbaric!

Next up the "accessory" decals. This includes your DOT tape...which is of a weird pattern that combines the old school Red & White with the new school Red & Silver, and yet does neither in a way I've seen on the road, BUT does appear to be how the newest G.D. (as show on their website) are striped from the factory...interesting. My minor quibble is with the over all registration of the warning signs, seems Revell's small decals are clearer., along with Decal #4 the G.D. logo. On the 1:1 this logo is a piece of metal riveted onto the door, so it's missing the rivets, and the wording should be in silver. There's also no red "dog" (silhouette of a Great Dane) that would go on the front panel's top edge on a dry van. But overall a good job.

Your next decal sheets are the HUGE puppies with your rolling stock markings. There are next to no Brandsmart USA trailer images on the net, the only one I can find shows a smooth walled Wabash, but Erb does indeed use this exact type of trailer set-up. This sheets are as large as the box is itself, and the decals for Brandsmart are in two pieces, but even then getting them off the backing and onto the model without tearing will be a feat of strength for anyone who hates decal work. You get one sheet from each side, and the Erb markings look complete from all the images I've looked at, these are EXCELLENT!

Full Name:Doing the grunt work so the U.S. Postal Service can deliver your mail.

Posted 03 October 2012 - 10:39 PM

Here's your other shiny runners! Each one will complete an axle's worth of wheels. Not sure what Part #57 was supposed to be other than it's round, chrome and not called out on the instructions, must be something LoneStar specific. Chrome plating on these items is much smoother and presentable compared with the front & rear panels.

Here are your axle parts. Again two runners, each one completing an axle. You have the axles themselves, one half of each slider rail system (WITH DRILLED OUT HOLES!), shocks, brake drums, slack adjusters, brake canisters, suspension airbags and one half each of the option to display the trailer with the dolly legs down on the ground, or cranked up and ready to roll. Some may cringe at the idea of the brake canisters and airbags being two halves, but no matter what there was going to be a seam or molding line going through them, I don't have a problem with it. The airbags themselves have the faintest of texture to them, which is fantastic! If you want to pick a nit, the airbags are compressed meaning your trailer will always be full loaded.

Full Name:Doing the grunt work so the U.S. Postal Service can deliver your mail.

Posted 03 October 2012 - 10:56 PM

You then get two small runners. One has half of your suspension arms, the other has the other half plus the main body of the reefer fuel unit. I'm not sure it was technically feasible due to how the tank mounts to the trailer (on therefore how it had to attach to the runner itself), but had Moebius rotated the tank a 1/4 turn it would have put the molding seam on the tank where the actual welding seam is on the 1:1 item.

Next runner has the tank ends, the rear ICC bumper area, the dolly crossmember, and trailer air tank. Moebius scores more engineering points by making the reefer's fuel filler neck and cap a separate part.

The other "half" (you can see it was molded as a unit, and then sheared in two) of that runner has your dolly leg side supports, the crank handle, the DOLLY "driveshaft" as it were as a SEPARATE part (connects the two legs together with the gearbox and handle), the main suspension sub-frame, the G.D. logos, along with the "extended" legs inners. The two little "nubs" are two different size kingpins! There is also one of the aluminum "foot" steps for the front of the trailer. It would have been nice if there would have been some way to display the crank handle in it's stowed position (being there are fully cranked dolly pads), but that's an easy fix.

One last picture showing the detail of the dolly gear box and aluminum foot step.

Full Name:Doing the grunt work so the U.S. Postal Service can deliver your mail.

Posted 03 October 2012 - 11:28 PM

Now it's time to sum it all up and get all wordy on you folks.

PROS -

- HELLO??!?!? It's a modern 53' Foot Trailer!!!! This is a kit that should put anyone with even a passing casual interest in model trucks at a near Mardi Gras level of partying.- In my example there wasn't a sign of warping, odd-ball molding issues (weird texture on the Hudson's hood anyone), or any excessive flash. The warping especially would be a concern with four body parts that are so large. I can't promise you every single kit is going to be that way, but mine was nyah, nyah, nyah.- The molding and detail work of the dirty side parts is fantastic. Whoever sat down and designed these parts needs a raise.- While we're at it promote whomever came up with the terribly basic, but ingenious way of putting the box together with a minimum of fuss and need of 3 of your modeling buddies and an army of clamps.- The instructions are finally everything I think Moebius wanted them to be all along. There are the photos of the actual assembled kit, and there are paint call outs FOR EVERY PART! The technical drawings are large and detailed. My biggest gripe with the LoneStar was it's instruction booklet (like the part where the frame magically assembles itself with no drawing of HOW), and that gripe continued with all of their cars. Small drawings and huge pictures, which was a good thing since not all of the parts had a color call out. All of that fixed in this kit, you guys deserve a pat on the back for that.- This model is literally going to be a tour 'de force with the guys who love to A)Detail Paint and B)Weather. There's a myriad of ways to build this kit from fresh off the factory floor, to beat, banged and full of grime, rust, scrapes and dents. The time alone one could spend with all of those cross members and trailer floor! The trailer floor also has the side rail which will I didn't count them (ha ha rivet counter get it - I slay me), appears to have the correct amount and position of all the cross member bolts. Each one of those needs to be picked out in a chrome/nickel paint different from the brushed aluminum of the side rails themselves...holy detail painting nirvana Batman!

Cons - - The biggest flop of this kit is the reefer unit itself. Which says a lot I think. There was a lot that could have gone wrong here, and to have the reefer kinda-sorta look like something, but it's not due to not getting the licensing in time...meh.- For all of that suspension detail including the slider rails there are no slider pins or release handle. Now I know those things can be fabbed up easily, but seems like for all of the work that went into the underside to leave those out is a glaring omission to people who know the real thing.- There is no license plate mount to be found. Have fun explaining that to the scale DOT...- The price. $45 is going to be a high entry point for the casual hobbyist. For truck guys they don't care, they've been buying resin trans-kits and whatnot for years. Overheard Hunter at the 3RAM showing saying he had $300 in aluminum wheels on one of his models there, $45 is petty cash in this section of the forum, but to the cheapo car guys one level up the forum, they may balk at the cost.

Pick the Nits - - The sorta-off registration of the warning decals, the not quite right G.D. rear door logo, and missing G.D. silhouette for the front of a van trailer.- There are also no license plates for the trailer. Got ahead a write "LOST PLATE" on the...oh right there is no place to mount one...- The fact this is a Great Dane, and not a Utility Reefer. Utility is by far the larger fleet reefer trailer, other than Erb, I've only personally seen one fleet with this exact reefer set-up and that's Dutch Maid. Wal*Mart Grocery Distribution uses about 85% G.D. (the other 15% being Utility), but we have smooth exterior walls, not the ribbed for your pleasure as in the kit. But with a few minor tooling changes (rear doors, ICC bumper, DOT lights and reefer mounting location) this could be easily kicked back out as a Utility Reefer, perhaps with the ThermoKing licensing rectified, and the appropriate level of detail put into the unit itself.- The lack of sidewall detail...as mention before the lack of panel lines and rivet heads. Probably not feasible, but noticeable to those who deal with the 1:1.- The tires and rims are from the LoneStar, economics being what it is I understand that, but it would have been nice to get some steel wheels, and tires that didn't look most appropriate on a container chassis. A good set of trailer position tires, could have been swapped into the LoneStar and ProStar as steer tires as well.

Conclusion - This is by far the best "automotive" effort put forth by Moebius thus far, and yet the reefer unit issue just keeps me from declaring it a homerun. It is however a triple. This detailing is top notch, the mold work is state of the art, and the fact you can finally put a '53 foot trailer behind something is fantastic. I see progress with each Moebius release, this one (pending assembly) has the least issues directly out of the box and that's a good thing.

Would I buy another? Yes Is it worth $45? Man that's a tough one, for truck modelers it's an easy yes. For the casual builder making a foray into the world of Heavy Commercial...how bad do you want one? Realize that no pre-existing trailer really looks right behind a modern tractor. Realize also your missing out on a little piece of plastic model engineering marvel by depriving yourself of this one.

I give it an A- on a curve. Bring on the ProStar!

Anyone who wants to see the full- size images, or page through them without going through the posts scattered across several pages they are all in this Flickr album.

Casey a reefer is a reefer, they all have 2 bay access doors, a control panel, and an external monitor (that little green light on the trailer corner). If anything designing it the way they did with the separate grilles the way they are would identify it as T.K. Unit. I didn't expect logos and markings, I just expected something that could pass for something other than a solid bay window.

Your a model builder?? So make it look the way you want. I really don't see the big deal.

Full Name:Doing the grunt work so the U.S. Postal Service can deliver your mail.

Posted 04 October 2012 - 09:44 AM

Your a model builder?? So make it look the way you want. I really don't see the big deal.

Simply because I feel the more money I shell out for something, the less basic mistakes I should be forced to deal with...Can I sit down and spend hours fabbing all the missing reefer detail? Sure I can, but $45 it of my pocket says I shouldn't be forced to do so. You can go buck-wild super detailing this thing without question.

Full Name:Doing the grunt work so the U.S. Postal Service can deliver your mail.

Posted 04 October 2012 - 11:33 AM

James, A++ on the review, very nice, I really can not wait to get the ProStar , I know I will getting atleast one trailer

I'm seeing I need 2 of them, one to do a 98% version of the truck I used to drive (we and most fleets don't use the BIG power NaviStar engine that requires the longer hood/cowl), and one to combine with this reefer kit to make a Dutch Maid combo. Heck I guess I need another trailer too since I'm leaning on going "box stock decals" and making a LoneStar Erb rig now that we have decals for both the tractor and trailer. Perhaps more trailers depending on what decals come from Moebius I the actual ProStar kit.